Elle Spain January 2014 Recreates H&M Winter 2012 Ad Campaign

So I decided I’d subject my comparison to you, perhaps trigger your comparative analysis and get you feelings on the matter as well. Long introduction short: here’s Nadeja Savcova, a model photographed by Xavi Gordo for Elle Spain January 2014. Doesn’t it remind you of Daria Werbovy’s H&M winter 2012 ad campaign? A little? Too much? (click through for even more images!)

Up in the thin air, where Daria’s natural beauty shines even more than the surrounding snow, Mikael Jansson photographed the Canadian model in a winter special ad campaign called ‘Love the Holidays’. Knits and accessories from the giant Swedish retailer looking ready to catwalk up and down Aspen’s snowy roads.

That was in 2012. We’re in 2014 and fashion hasn’t evolved one inch in some editors’ perspective. Vicki Marcos arranged the models’ hair and makeup while Inmaculada Jimenez styled this ‘Style Slalom’ (Slalom de Estilo in original) for the January issue of Elle Spain. Call it her perspective on H&M’s ad campaign, two years ago.

spot the little differences! Daria (left) and Nadeja (right)

Sure, one may argue that one does not need to reinvent the wheel, just realign it. And we’re not all Mariah Carey to wear high heels while on sky holidays, hence mountain-wear won’t look all that different from one year to another. But! Look at the pictures where Nadeja Savcova is wearing either all white or all black and tell me it’s not all too strangely similar!

Elle didn’t even need the famous services of George Cortina who styled Daria for the H&M campaign. They just followed in his and his team’s footsteps. Yannick D’Is arranged Daria’s hair while Mark Carrasquillo did her makeup.

We are, after all, talking about Elle Spain which is part of the Hearst Media Group, which, in Spain, released an informative number of 5 million readers (audience) in 37, 6 Million annual issues sold (30 different individual magazines are part of that count, so don’t be surprised upon reading the numbers). On the other side, Hennes & Mauritz, in short H&M has over 3,000 stores in 53 countries with over 100,000 on their direct payroll and a declared turnover of nearly $63,000 Billion in 2012. Really, no match between the two!

Daria doing the sweater pose for H&M (2012)

Nadeja closely following in Elle Spain (2014)

Except for our tired fashion eyes, constantly on the lookout for new and original imagery and concepts, always deceived by the same old approaches, same old perspectives, year after year.